Emma montvilije administratrix of said george mont



Nov. 13 1923.

F. L. SWARTZ AUTOMATIC DOOR OPERATING AND CONTROLLING MEANS Filed March 9-, 1921 Sheets-Shes 1 Nov. 13, 1923.

F. L. SWARTZ AUTOMATIC DOOR OPERATING AND CONTROLLING. MEANS Filed March 19. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Patented liOV. 13, 1923.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE.

FRED L. SWARTZ, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF 'IO GEORGE INIONTVILLE,

OF TOLEDO, OHIO; EMMA MONTVILLE ADIJIINISTRATRIX OF SAID GEORGE IY'IONT- VILLE, DECEASED.

AUTOMATIC DOOR OPERATING AND CONTROLLING MEANS.

Application filed March 19, 1921.

To all whom it may concern. Beit known that I, FRED L. SwAnr-z, citizen of the United States, residing at Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements *in Automatic Door Operating and Controlling Means, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic door operating and controlling means, and more particularly to means for controlling and operating the doors on garages or the like, which are put into automatic action by the wheel of the vehicle entering 0r leaving-the building.

The object of the invention is to provide means whereby the doors of a garage can be both automatically opened and closed from within or without the building.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mechanism so constructed that the doors when closed are automatically locked or latched in closed position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide automatic means for lighting a light within .the building, worked in con junction with the door operatingmeans so as to provide light when the vehicle enters or leaves the building.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a means for automatically operating doors,'which is simple of construction, cheap of manufacture and highly eflicient in operation. 1

Other and further objects of the invention will appear in t e following description and specification, and in which- H Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view taken .longitudinallythe garage, floor and doors, the door and light operating means being shown in-full lines.

F igure 2 is a top plan View of the i111 proved door-operating means showing its installation.

Referring now to the drawings in which like parts are designated by similar reference numerals, 1 represents the walls of a in the drawings building which is I provided with double doors 2, and a floor 3' which is preferably con- Serial No. 453,673.

crete, although any other type of floor can be readily used.

The greater part of the door and light operating mechanism is within the space l below the floor 8. I

At the outer side of the doors and protruding through suitable openings 5 in the floor are two traps or depressible platforms 6 and 7. The trap 6 is in position to be readily struck by the left wheel. of the vehicle when entering the building, while the trap 7 is positioned to be struck by the right wheel of the vehicle when leaving the building. To facilitate striking the traps, they are positioned slightly to the left and right of the center of the doors orfioor. These traps are preferably about twelve inches long, one inch wide and eight inches deep and have their protruding ends beveled, as shown. By making the traps approximately these dimensions and positioned as stated, the dis tance from the outer edge of one trap to the outer edge of the other is less than the width of the average tread of an automobile, so that when the left wheel of the vehicle strikes the trap 6. the right wheels of the vehicle will entirelyniiss the trap '7.

Within the building and, preferably to the left of the center thereof, two traps S and 9 protrude through the floor 3 and are positioned one in front of the other, as clean ly shown.

A. foundation or blocl: 10 is positioned within the space a and below the traps 6 and 7. Extending in parallel. separated rela tion between the block 10 and the b otto 1 of the trap 6 two posts ll, having coiled thereabout the springs'lQ, the ends of which abut the block and the l'JQlZtOIIIOi the trap. Extending from the center of the bottom of the trap e is a rod 18, the lower endof which is provided with a, slot opening 1% of a length equaljto the distance the ,trap' 6 protrudes above the floor3. i

Extending transverse the block 10 is a shaft 15, fastened at its ends in the bearings 16 carried upon raised portions 17 of the. block 10, and ournalcd at its center in bear-- 18 carried upon a raised block portion 18. 4

A crank arm l9 having a notched end 20 Positioned within the space 4t and extending transverse the garage below the traps 8 and 9, is a block or foundation 29 having raised end portions 30. A shaft 31, provided Wit-h upwardly extending ends 33, extends across the block 29 and is carried within bearings 32, upon the raised portions 30 thereof. i

Joining the shafts 1.5 and 31, are a series of rods 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38. The rod 34 has its lower end 39 fastened to the shaft 15, as shown, and extends vertically u pward therefrom and its upper end is fastened. within the forked end 40 of. the rod 35, by means of a pin 41. The opposite end of the rod 35 is forked, as at 42, and fastened within the fork by means of a pin 4-3 is the end 4.4-. of the rod 36, which. rod is suspended below the floor 3, by means of the bearings 45. v

The opposite ends 46 of the rod 36 is fas tened within the forked end l7 of the rod 37. by means of a pin 48. heopposite end 49 of the rod'37 is forked as shown, and fastened therein by means of the pin 50 is one end of the rod 38, while the other end of this rod is fastened to the shaft ill, as shown at 51.

Fastened to the shaft 31, at the point 52,

and extending transverse the shaft is a rod 53, to the opposite ends of which are fastened the rods 54: and 55, which have heir upper ends fastened to the lower portions and. 57 of the traps 8 and 9 respectively.

As clearly shown in the drawing, the upper ends 33 of the shaft 31,extend to a point well above the floor 3 of the garage.

Extending parallel the opposite walls of the garage are rods 58 having flattened. portions 59, provided with shoulders 60 and. 61. The portions 59 of these rods are within the forked end 62 of the upwardly extending shaft 33', and locked thereinby means of pins 63 which. extend through the fork at apoint above the portions 59. The opposite ends 64.0f the rods 58 are forked.- The rods 65 are fastened at one "end within the forks 64, by means or the pins 66, while their opposite ends are provided with a series of holes 6'7. Suitably fastened to the insides of the doors 2, are inwardly extending L- shaped members 68 having upwardly extending ends 69. The rods 65 are fastened-to the members 68 by droppin one of the holes 65 over the ends 69 of the members Carried upon the bottom of the garage doors is a pawl 70, pivotally mounted at 71,

upon the door. Extending through the floor eral operation of the entire invention is given.

Suitably situated within the garage is a light 78, one of the wires 79 providing current thereto, leads to a switch A, intendedto be conveniently located within the house, while the other wire 80, providing current to the light, leads to the post 81, which is mounted upon the block 10. Pivotally n'ionnted as at 82, upon this post is a knife 83, which is adapted to engage the forked terminal post 84. A lead wire connects the terminal 8% and the switch A, which makes a complete circuit to the light 78 when the knife 83 is in engagement with the termi nal 84. Jonrnaled through the raised block portion 18 is an S-shaped member 86 having a flattened and enlarged end 87, which is: di-

rectly below and in. engagement with the end of the trap rod 22, while its opposite end 88 extends beneath: the enlarged flattened end 89 of the knife 83. The. weight of the trap 7 and its downwardly extendingrod 22 depresses the s-shaped member 86, so as to normally hold the knife 83 in a raised position, as shown in Fig. 1, out of contact with the terminal; post 8i. Attention is directed to the fact that the end 89 of the knife 83 is directly beneath and in line with the end of the trap rod 13. The operation of the autoinatic lighting means will be described when the operation of the entire invention is QIVQU. r

i A Having described the mechanism. en'iployed to anton'iatioally open and close the doors 7 of the garage either froniwithin or without the building; described the door latching means and the lighting operating means. I

will now describe the operation of the entire invention, stating the manner in which the doors are automatically nnlatched, opened and the light within the building lighted.

lVhcn the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1. the building is vacant and the doors are in closed. position. As the vehicle approaches the doors of thebnilding the driver directs the machine so that the left front wheel of the vehicle will strike the protruding trap member 6. and the we. 2h. of the machine upon this trap will depress it against the tension. of the coiled springs 12 and es the trap and its downivardlyextend. m rod 1ev descend, the rod 19 will he aeinmate pressed and the shaft 15 rotated. As the shaft 15 rotates, it through the medium of the rods 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38 rotates the shaft 31, which throws the upwardly extending ends 33 thereof in a direction towards the doors. As the ends 62 of the shaft 33 strike the shoulders 61, of the rods 58, an outward motion is imparted to them which through the medium of the rods 65 and the door member 68, swing the doors into open position. At the same time this occurs, the rod 36 is reciprocated in the forked lower end of the rod 72 and the bulged portion 77 strikes the pin 76 and depresses the rod 72 to a position to carry theupper end of the rod out of engagement 'W1tl1 the end 73 of the door pawl 70. Due

to the lost motion caused by the distance between the shoulders 61 and 62 of the rods .58, the rod 36 reciprocates within the rod 72 and releases the door pawl before the shaft 33 gives an outward movement to the rods 58.

Except when depressed by the weight of a machine, or the like, the trap 6 is normally up. After the doors have been opened by depressing the trap 6 and the weight of the machine is removed from this trap, the coil springs 12 will raise the trap 6. This action of the springs 12 upon the trap 6 will not reverse the mechanism and close the doors because the movement is taken care of by the slot opening 14 in the rod 13 and the slot 24 in the rod 22, and, therefore, has no effect on the rest of the door operating mechanism.

Also as the foregoing operations take place, the end 89 of the knife 83 is struck by the end of the descending trap-rod 13 and carried downward and into engagement with the terminal post 84, thus completing the electric circuit and lighting the light within the building.

When the machine is within the building, the left front wheel passes over the trap 8, whichhas been carried downward (and remains in that position) by the operation which opened the doors. This same operation has raised the trap 9 which the front wheel of the machine now strikes and depresses. Vv' hen the trap 9 is depressed the opposite motion is imparted to the mechanism and the doors are closed, and the latch rod raised to engagement with the door pawl 70. As the doors close the rod 36 moves inwardly, the, bulged portion 77 thereof moving out of engagement with the pin 76 of the rod 72. The continued in- Ward movement brings the straight portion of the rod 36 into engagement with the fork of the rod 72 and raises it to engage the pawl of the door. It will be noted that the knife 83 is still in engagement with the terminal post 84 after the machine is within the building and the doors closed. The

driver will then make his exit from the building by means of the supplemental door 2 and when he reaches the house, extinguish the light in the garage by snapping of the switch A,

lVhen the driver intends to take the machine from the garage, he will turn on the switch A and thus light the light within the garage. As the driver backs the machine from the building, the front wheel strikes the trap 8, which assumed a raised position when the garage doors were closed behind the machine. As the trap 8 is depressed, the doors 2 are opened and the trap 7 raised to an elevatedposition. The right front wheel is now directed so as to hit and depressthe trap 7 while the left wheels pass to the left and miss the raised trap 6 entirely. When the trap 7 is depressed, the doors are closed, the rod 72 carried to a raised position and in engagement with the door pawl 7 0, while the end 87 of the S-shaped rod 86 is depressed thus lifting the opposite end of the S-shaped rod and carrying the knife 83 upward and out of engagement with the terminal post 84;, and thereby breaking the electric circuit and extinguishing the light within the building.

Adjustment of the mechanism is obtained by reason of the several holes 67 in the rod 65, and by means of which the lost motion of the apparatus can be increased or decreased.

Attention is also directed to the fact that when the vehicle is within the building and one of its wheels rest upon the trap 9, the doors are doubly latched by reason of the pawl 70 and the latch-rod 72, and the weight of the machine upon the trap 9. With the machine resting upon the trap 9, the mechanism cannot be operated from with out the building unless the machine driven upon the raised trap 6 was of greater weight than the machine within the building, in fact of sufficient greater weight as to lift the machine in the building and also depress the coil springs 12.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a door operating mechanism, the combination with the swinging door, of separate depressable door opening members located at opposite sides of the door and operatively connected therewith, separate depressab'le door closing members located at opposite sides of the door, and opera-- tively connected therewith for closing the door, the depressable members without the door in staggered relation, and the depressable members on the inner side of the door located one directly in front of the other, for the purpose described.

2. In a garage door operating mechanism, a pair of shafts extending transversely of the roadxtaiy,-one at each side of the door, :1-

p'ai'r of depressible members operatively connected toe'ach of said shafts to rotate them, means for connecting said shafts for simultaneous actuation, and means Opera'- tively connecting one of said slnrfts to the door, for the purpose described.

3; In a garage door op'erati-i'ig mechanism,

a pair of shafts extending transversely of the roadway, one at each side of the door,

a; pair of depressihle' members connected to oppositely extending radialarms on each of said shafts, means for connecting said shafts for simultaneous actuation, and means operatively connecting one of said shafts to the other. p

4. In a garage Floor aerating mechanism, epair of shafts extent transversely of theroadway, one at each side of the door, :1 pair of depressihle members operatively connected to each of said she-its to rotate them, means for connecting said shafts for simultaneous actuation, said Inezrns cafrryin' a device for controlling the hitching ant- Z5 u'nlatchin'g' of the door, and means operatively connecting one of said shafts to the door; 7

5; In a garage door operatingmeclianisrn, :1 pair of shafts extending transversely the roadway, one at ea e11 side of the door, a pair of depr'essible members connected to; op-

positely extending radial arms on each of said shafts, reciprocating means connecting saidsha-fts for simultaneous actuation, said reciprocating Ineans carrying it cam for controlling the latching and unlatch-ing of the door and means oper'atively connecting one of said shafts to the door.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affixmy signature.

FRED L; SWARTZ. 

